New England Historical Association Conference, Springfield College, Springfield, MA, April 2014

The post 2014 April: “The Norma Rae Phenomenon: Crystal Lee Sutton Becomes a Pop Icon,” New England Historical Association Conference, Springfield College first appeared on Aimee Loiselle.

I presented my paper, “The Norma Rae Phenomenon: Southern Textile Workers as Raw Material for a Pop Culture Icon,” on November 23 in Madison, Wisconsin.  It traces the extraction of the simplified Norma Rae icon from the substantive network of collective resistance to the exploitation in the textile mills. The cultural narrative embedded in the pop icon glorifies the ability of a charismatic individual to overcome entrenched political and economic challenges–but Crystal Lee, “the real Norma Rae,” attempted to reclaim the icon for the working poor who repeatedly organize for better working conditions.

The post 2013 Nov: “The Norma Rae Phenomenon: Southern Textile Workers as Raw Material for a Pop Icon,” Film & History Conference first appeared on Aimee Loiselle.